Eiríksstaðir

The 10th century longhouse

A replica of Eirík and Thjóðhild´s longhouse has been built on the eastern part of Stóra-Vatnshorn, some 100m (300 feet) from the ruins of their original longhouse. The recounstructed longhouse is based on the archaeological drawings of the excavated ruins following the original building layout.

The farmhouse was build through a local initiative with assistance from an advisory committee of archaeologists from the National Museum. The current building is based on research about the oldest known structures of this type from Iceland and neighbouring contries of the same periond. All the timber used in the building is driftwood. The house was built using recreated Settlement Age tools which were reconstructed based on archaeological finds or ancient descriptions. The carvings and decorations are based on models from the same period. Panelling is used for the interior, and the ceiling rafters have a brushwood lining with a triple layer of turf to form the roof. The turf walls were built using turf clumps with twine connecting them, which was probably the orginal building technique as revealed during excavation.